New Year's Day Battle of 1968

The New Year's Day Battle of 1968 was a battle of the Vietnam War which occurred from 1 to 2 January 1968.

The United States, ARVN, and Viet Cong had agreed to declare a ceasefire on 1 January 1968 after Pope Paul VI interceded, and the US 25th Infantry Division temporarily halted Operation Yellowstone. However, on the night of 1 January 1968, six hours before the truce was to end, 2,500 Viet Cong troops ambushed the American positions. The Viet Cong launched three attack waves against the US troops, breaking the American defensive lines and even sending an NVA sapper to launch a suicide bombing on the 2nd and 3rd Battalion command bunker, killing the colonel. However, Captain Harris commanded airstrikes on his own position in order to prevent the NVA from overwhelming the American lines. The airstrikes - flown in 28 sorties - were successful, creating craters full of dead NVA troops. The last contact with the communists occurred at 5:15 AM on 2 January, and 348 NVA/VC and 23 Americans were killed in the battle. The NVA and VC remnants were pursued to the south and southeast, and, just 30 days after the New Year's Day battle, the Tet Offensive began. The media almost entirely ignored the New Year's Day battle in favor of covering the Tet Offensive.